Delicious Baked Salmon from Frozen!

Name: Delicious Baked Salmon from Frozen!
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: 4 frozen salmon fillets (with or without skin); 2 teaspoons oil; 1 teaspoon garlic powder; 1 teaspoon paprika; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon pepper; 1 lemon (optional)

Recipe

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No need to thaw frozen salmon. Use this recipe to bake it in the oven and get a delicious meal without the fuss!

With all the tips in this post, your baked frozen salmon will be moist and flavorful, and you'll have an easy salmon dinner ready in no time.

salmon in a bowl with rice and vegetables

Can You Bake Frozen Salmon in the Oven?

While there are several methods to cook frozen salmon, baking it in the oven is one of my favorites because it’s pretty hands-off. While cooking frozen salmon in the air fryer is quicker, I can cook extra pieces in the oven and use leftovers to make an epic salmon pasta recipe a couple of nights later, taking advantage of all the nutrition in salmon.

What You Need

You can bake frozen salmon with or without skin. To give your salmon a nice crust, you’ll use olive oil, plus seasonings for flavor: salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika. I alternate between salmon seasoning, Cajun seasoning, and blackened seasoning. Optionally, you can add lemon at the end for a touch of freshness and flavor.

sheet pan with frozen salmon and chopped vegetables

How to Bake Frozen Salmon in the Oven

Here are the steps and tips to bake frozen salmon straight from the freezer to the oven:

Season the salmon.
You can season salmon frozen; no need to wait or open up the oven during cooking.
Bake.
You're going to bake the salmon covered for most of the time to keep the moisture in and let it cook with the steam that builds up inside. Then, in the last third of the cooking time, you'll remove the foil and let the salmon finish cooking uncovered.
Add lemon before serving.
I like to squeeze some fresh lemon over the top of the baked salmon after it's done cooking, for an extra touch of freshness.

Roasting Vegetables With Frozen Salmon

If you want to roast vegetables with your frozen salmon, I recommend chopping them into smaller pieces, since the total baking time will be about 25 minutes. They can bake in the same dish as the salmon or in a separate sheet pan on the oven shelf below the salmon. Some that work well are cherry tomatoes, diced zucchini, cubed sweet potatoes, broccoli, and quartered Brussels sprouts.

overhead view of a sheet pan with four frozen salmon fillets and chopped vegetables

What Temperature to Bake Frozen Salmon

Although there are several baking temperatures for fresh salmon, I like to bake frozen salmon at higher temperatures, anywhere from 400F to 450F, with 425F being the best choice. This helps the salmon thaw out quickly and generate steam in the baking dish to keep it moist while it cooks through.

This chart shows the different temperatures and baking times for cooking frozen salmon. The total time will vary depending on the thickness of the salmon and whether it's farm-raised or wild-caught.

Oven Temperature	Cooking Time
400F	25-30 min
425F	22-25 min
450F	18-22 min

Laura’s Tips for Baking Frozen Salmon

How Long to Bake Frozen Salmon without Thawing

Cooking frozen salmon in the oven only takes about 5 to 10 minutes longer than usual; it all depends on the thickness of the salmon fillet.

How to Know When Baked Salmon is Done

Visually, you’ll know your frozen salmon is done baking when the flaky layers separate easily with a fork and the middle is a solid color (no longer looks wet). Using a meat thermometer, the internal temperature should read 145F at the thickest part of the salmon.

Will It Affect Taste or Texture?

I know it’s hard to believe that baking frozen salmon has zero effect on the taste and texture of the finished product; that is, as long as you season your salmon well and take it out when it’s ready.

two bowls of baked salmon, vegetables and rice

Delicious Baked Salmon from Frozen!

bowl of salmon in a bowl with rice and vegetables

Servings: 4

Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 20

Total Time: 25

No need to thaw frozen salmon. Use this recipe to bake it in the oven and get a delicious meal without the fuss!

5 from 15 votes

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Watch how it’s made:

Ingredients

4 frozen salmon fillets, with or without skin
2 teaspoons oil
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1 lemon, optional

Instructions

Prep:

Preheat the oven to 425F with the top oven rack positioned in the middle of the oven. If you're baking skinless salmon, lightly grease the bottom of a baking dish with oil or spray.
Remove the frozen salmon from the packaging and use a paper towel to pat it dry if necessary. If you left it on the counter for a bit and it's begun to thaw, you want to absorb that liquid.

Season the salmon:

Place the salmon in the baking dish, skin-side down. If you have skinless salmon, the flat side goes at the bottom. Drizzle a little olive oil over the tops of the salmon and with a brush (or your fingertips) spread it over the top of each piece. This flavors the salmon and gives it a nice crust at the end. Sprinkle the seasonings over the top of the salmon pices.
Cover the baking dish tightly with foil to trap the moisture while baking.

Bake:

Bake the salmon covered for 15 minutes. Then, remove the foil cover and cook for another 8 to 10 minutes. Wild salmon and thinner salmon pieces should be done by now. Thicker salmon or farm-raised salmon will need a few extra minutes. You know the salmon is done when at the thickest part, the internal temperature taken with a meat thermometer registers 145F.

Serve:

Remove the baking dish from the oven, squeeze the lemon over the tops of the salmon, and serve.

Notes

If you want to roast vegetables with your frozen salmon, I recommend chopping your vegetables into smaller pieces since the total baking time will be about 25 minutes. They can bake in the same dish as the salmon or in a separate sheet pan in the oven shelf below the salmon. Some that work well are cherry tomatoes, diced zucchini, cubed sweet potatoes, broccoli, and quartered Brussels sprouts.